"I want to help people," Gordon said. "I want to help take health and fitness to another level."

Gordon was a star at Mount Vernon High School before attending UConn, where he won a national title his junior year. In the 2004 NBA Draft, he was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls, winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award his rookie season. Gordon later played for the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, and Orlando Magic.

By opening the wellness center, Gordon said he wants to help out kids in Mount Vernon who aspire to be professional athletes like himself.

"This is for the kids who don't have a gym to go to," Gordon said. "This gym is for kids who couldn't afford certain things. Now they're able to get these services in Mount Vernon."

Gordon said helping the youth of Mount Vernon is more important to him than being a basketball player.

"God put me here to help the people of Mount Vernon," Gordon said. "There's nothing better that I could be doing than saving people's lives. This is my community."

Since opening the center, Gordon, who says he still can play in the NBA, said he hasn't charged any child who has come in.

With the NBA season about to start, Gordon said he plans on getting season tickets to the Nets and the Knicks and use that as a vehicle to help promote his new business. And can anyone stop Golden State?